- by Shokolada -
She looked out at the blasted landscape before her. Huge shadows moved in the valleys below, cloaked in twilight, and perhaps something else. Inhuman cries drifted into the air alongside faint sounds of rending and smashing.
“I… I can’t believe it’s all gone,” she said to the quiet, robed form beside her.
“After all the eons of waiting, the stars were right. Promises long-made have been kept,” it grunted. “Your bargain with us was well-advised; some members of the human race will survive. Now, we honor our side of the arrangement.”
The cultist led her back into the cavern, away from the disturbing vista, and to an area lit by halogen worklights. He – she? It was impossible to be sure – guided her steps onto a small round platform, and took position behind a nearby podium. “We do not wish to stay here much longer. If you are prepared to start the journey, please disrobe and we will take steps to ensure your bodily integrity.”
She wasn’t looking forward to this. No one who’d undergone the journey had returned, and the few rumors about this process weren’t encouraging. But she had little choice. She took off her robe and stood still.
The cultist did something to the podium. A mechanical hiss sounded above her, and in an instant a cascade of something landed on her head to slide down, all over and around her body. The flow was thick and viscous, clear amber-colored with a tinge of green, yet did not seem to obscure her vision at all. Read the rest of this entry »
